Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Israel maintains sovereignty over the Temple Mount and recognizing the importance of religious freedom for all on the Temple Mount.

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Israel maintains sovereignty over the Temple Mount and recognizing the importance of religious freedom for all on the Temple Mount.

Whereas the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the holiest site in Judaism, and a holy site for Christians and Muslims alike;

Whereas, roughly 3,000 years ago in the 10th Century BC, the First Temple was constructed upon the Temple Mount, commonly known as “Solomon’s Temple”, and was destroyed in the 6th Century BC;

Whereas, in approximately 516 BC, the Second Temple was constructed upon the Temple Mount, commonly known as “Herod’s Temple”, and was destroyed in approximately 70 AD;

Whereas, for roughly 3,000 years, the Temple Mount’s has remained the holiest site in Judaism, and the Jewish people’s connection to the Temple Mount has been demonstrated by archaeological evidence, biblical texts, and historical records;

Whereas, during the Six-Day War, Israel reunified Jerusalem in 1967 and all of Jerusalem has remained under Israeli sovereignty since then;

Whereas, in 1988, Jordan renounced all claims to its previous holdings in Jerusalem;

Whereas, in 1990, the Congress unanimously adopted S. Con. Res. 106, which declares that the Congress “strongly believes that Jerusalem must remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected”;

Whereas, in 1992, the House of Representatives and Senate unanimously passed S. Con. Res. 113, a resolution honoring the 25th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem and expressing that the Congress strongly believes that Jerusalem must remain an undivided city and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem;

Whereas, in 1995, the House of Representatives and the Senate overwhelmingly passed S. 1322 (P.L. 104–45), the Jerusalem Embassy Act which states that the Policy of the United States is that Jerusalem should remain an undivided city and the capital of the State of Israel;

Whereas, 23 years after the passage of the Jerusalem Embassy Act, President Donald J. Trump moved the United States Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and recognized Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel;

Whereas Israel upholds religious freedom for all by ensuring access to holy sites for people of all faiths, however, Jewish and Christian rights on the Temple Mount are severely restricted as compared to the rights of Muslims;

Whereas Muslims can currently enter the Temple Mount from 11 different gates, but non-Muslims can only enter the Temple Mount from 1 gate;

Whereas the hours of the lone non-Muslim gate is severely restricted compared to the Muslim gates to the Temple Mount;

Whereas non-Muslims are not permitted access to the Temple Mount on Friday or Saturday, preventing Jews from observing Shabbat upon the Temple Mount;

Whereas international actors that seek to downplay the connection of the Jewish people to the Temple Mount are distorting history and increasing tensions;

Whereas the October 7th Massacres carried out by Hamas and other terrorist organizations desecrated the Temple Mount by referring to these terrorist attacks as the “Al-Aqsa Flood”; and

Whereas the United States has long championed religious liberty and recognizes Israel’s sovereign right to protect and preserve its religious and historic sites for members of all faiths: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) affirms the inalienable right of the Jewish people to full access the Temple Mount and the right to pray and worship on the Temple Mount, consistent with the principles of religious freedom;

(2) recognizes the integral role of the Temple Mount to the Jewish people’s heritage and history;

(3) supports the Government of Israel in its efforts to safeguard the rights of Muslim worshippers, and integrity of Islamic structures there, in accordance with Israel’s current policies; and

(4) reaffirms its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital, as reaffirmed repeatedly in United States policy and law, which includes Israeli sovereignty over the Temple Mount.